Approximately 150,000 First Nations children attended Canadian residential schools spanning from the 1830s to the 1990s. Many people consider the residential school system to be a human rights violation as countless numbers of First Nation children, particularly status Indians and also many Inuit, Métis and non-status Indians, have been taken from their homes. The experiences and stories of residential schools remained secret for a long time, but no longer. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, established on June 1, 2008, lasted five years and its goal was to document the stories of residential school survivors. Their stories and struggles should be known. Canada's residential school system has cost Canada's Aboriginal people a loss of culture, poor care for their children and a loss of identity. The residential school system caused a heavy loss of culture for Aboriginal people. People considered it cultural genocide. Many children were taken from their parents, who were unable to pass on and teach their culture to the next generation of children. This occurred for many generations, causing much of the population to forget their culture and heritage. Stories have been lost and traditions have been forgotten. Children were not exposed to their own culture in residential schools. For example, they were forbidden to speak their native language or practice their culture in school, and if they were ever caught doing so, they were beaten and punished so that they would never make the same mistake again, and many of them learned not to do so. . To further disconnect the children, the staff cut their hair and gave everyone the same pair of clothes, socks, and other necessities for living with... middle of paper..., alcoholism, and suicidal behavior. This may also have been caused by the way they thought people treated them or would have treated them if they knew they were Aboriginal, which would have caused them to hide their identity, and fewer Aboriginal people would have wanted to be known for who they truly were . The residential school system has caused many Aboriginal communities to lose their culture, provide poor care for their children and lose their cultural identity. It's not a proud chapter in Aboriginal history, but nevertheless it's not something that can be forgotten. Many organizations like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada are doing their best to make people listen to the stories of Aboriginal people and not allow them to be buried. It is now incorporated into their lives. How different Aboriginal cultures would be today if the residential school system had not existed??